Navigational aid



Oct. 5, 1937. F. H. RYLANDER NAVIGATIONAL AID 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Free /7. Pg/ana'er Filed June 2, 1937 ATTORNEY.

Oct. ,5, 1937. F. H. RYLANDER NAVIGATIONAL AID Filed June 2, 1957 I 2 Shets-Sheet 2 FIE E INVENTOR. Fred /7. fig/cmoer 7 w W ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES NAVIGATIONAL AID Fred H. Rylander, .San Francisco, Calif., assignor of one-half to Leo Dallin, Oakland, Calif.

Application June 2, 1937, Serial No. 145,988

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in navigational aids. The invention contemplates provision of an apparatus providing a ready representation of the movement of a dirigible vehicle toward a chosen destination. The aid of the present invention is useful in the navigation of any dirigible vehicle, particularly aircraft. The term vehicle is used in a broad sense as including those travelling on land and sea and in theair.

It is in general the broad object of the present invention to provide a simple navigation aid which indicates at all times the approximate position of the vehicle.

[5 Another object of the present invention is to provide a. suitable mechanical structure for use with a suitable chart to the end that a simple, rugged and inexpensive navigation aid is made available.

20 tures of advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will appear hereinafter wherein the present preferred form of navigation aid of this invention is disclosed.

25 In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the apparatus.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus. Figure 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

30 Figure 4 is a section taken along the line 4--4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section taken along the line 55 of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a plan view, illustrating the utility 35 of the present apparatus.

As is disclosed in the drawings, I provide a pair of opposite rollers II and I2. These are respectively supported upon suitable shafts l4 and I5 carried in journals IS on casing 23. The rollers 40 are inter-connected by bevel gears l1 and 2| carried upon hollow shafts l3 and 22, the roller shafts l4 and I5 carrying bevel gears l3. Shafts l3 and 22 are upon opposite sides of the casing structure 23 which surrounds the apparatus and provides a suitable enclosure therefor.

A chart indicated generally at 24 is wound upon roller II and is normally advanced from the top of Figure 1 to the bottom thereof, that is, the chart is unwound from roller II and wound upon 50 roller |2. A support plate 8 is positioned be,-

neath the chart to support it.

The chart 24 is drawn to a predetermined scale. Since the speed of the vehicle will vary between wide limits, I provide means for coordinating the a 55 speed with the mil 9? GM- 9. 9 ill? The invention includes other objects and fee.-

over position indicating means indicated by numeral 26 and to be discussed in detail hereinafter. The coordinating means comprises a gear'body indicated by numeral 21. This gear body, slidably mounted upon hollow shaft l8, includes a plu- 5 rality of separate gears, each gear having a different number of teeth.

A driving means, provided by a sprocket |0| on a shaft )2 carrying a gear 23, is supported in an oscillatable spring pressed support frame 23 which is positioned at the side of the casing 23. The sprocket ii is driven by a chain I03. This driving meansis merely typical of a suitable power input means. Sprocket lill is driven at a speed approximating that of the vehicle. 1 It can be driven by an element on the vehicle prime mover or by a separate power source.

The support frame 29 comprises a pair of parallel arms carried upon a shaft 3|. Shaft 3| is supported in a. bracket 32 and in the end frame of the casing. An operating member 34 is provided exteriorly of the casing, usually in the form of a knob having a pointer 36 whichcooperates with an indicator 31, to show the position of the driving means relative to the gear body.

The gear body 21 is moved relative to the gear 23 to effect a change in the rate of movement of the chart and to coordinate it with the vehicle movement. The operating knob 34 is turned to the left in Figure 2, or counter-clockwise to release gear 23'from engagement, compressing the spring 30. The rotation of knob 4| on screwthreaded shaft 42 is effective to move the shaft 42 within the hollow shaft is and thus change the position of pin 43 which is carried by the gear body through slot 44 in the hollow shaft l3. When the position ofthe gear body has been changed to an extent desired, knob 34 is released. Upon the return of gear 28 to mesh with the gear body 21, the chart advances at a rate coordinated with the rate of forward travel of the vehicle. The coordinated speed is indicated by dial I04 as correlated with a cooperating miles per hour scale I06. Dial I04 is carried by the gear body while the scale is provided along the side of an aper- 45 ture I31 in the frame 5| (Figure 6).

The casing 23 includes a. top frame indicated generally by numeral 5| 'and removable therefrom to permit ready access to the chart so it can be-changed. This frame is marked off in degrees, as indicated at 52, so that the navigator can utilize them in picking up, establishing andv checking a course or position in the usual manner. I

With the chart advancing in the direction indi- 5 cated by .the arrow in Figure 6, so long as the vehicle is on a'straight line course, for example, from point A. to point B, it is a simple matter and mere movement of the chart in the direction of the arrow sufllces to indicate the position of the vehicle at any time upon the chart, so long as the rate of movement of the chart is coordinated with the speed of the vehicle. In other words, the rate of movement of the chart is such that it represents the actual speed of the vehicle reduced by the scale of the chart.

the scale of the chart is an inch to the mile, then vehicle. When the course is not a straight line upon the chart, for example, if a navigator wishes to go from point C on the chart to point B, a

course indicated by the line 54 is laid out. This I course can be otherwise represented by lin56 and line 52. As the straight line is the shortest distance between two points, the course indicated by line 54 is followed instead of a course from C to A and from A to B, over lines indicated by 56 and 53. Under these circumstances, in accordance with this invention I provide means for imparting a transverse movement to the indicating means 28, and this movement can be either to the right or left in Figure 1. This moving means includes a gear body indicated at GI and slidable upon the hollow shaft 22 to a desired extent by means of shaft 62 and knob 63 coordinating with the threaded end of the shaft 62. Gear body 6|, like gear body 21, is made up of a plurality of gears, each one of increasing diameter, the increase being sufllcient to the addition/of one or more gear teeth. Gear body Bl, however, un like gear body 21, includes a portion -60 made up of a plurality of different gear segments or partial gears. That is, the first segment in the body has but a single tooth while the 'next segment has two teeth, the number increasing along the body. The segments are of the same diameter.

A pin 86 engages the gear body 6| through slot 61 in the hollow shaft 22, which enables the gear body to be moved to any desired extent. Selectively engageable with the gear body 6| is a driven gear 88 carried upon arm 69 and meshed with gear' 10 upon a sleeve H. Sleeve H carries a worm 12 which drives another worm I3. Worm II is mounted upon a shaft H carried upon the base structure 18 of the casing and extension 11' thereof. Bevel gear I8 is mounted upon the end of shaft I4 and is engaged with a bevel gear 19 carried upon drive shaft 8| for the position indicating means 26.

The position indicating means 26 includes a pointer extending upwardly from a clutch body 82. While only a pointer has been shown, this can also be a chart marking element. An extension CI is provided upon the clutch body, this extension being slidable over a rod 84. The shaft 8| carries a usual form of double thread indicated at $8 with which the clutch in clutch body "can be engaged selectively to advance indicating means 26 from right to left or from left to right by manipulating the clutch with the control knob 21 on shaft 88 extending to the clutch.

The selective transverse movement of the indicating means 2| is secured by manipulating a shaft 00, carried within sleeve H, with knob 9|.

This cooperates with indicator 92 to indicate the For example, if the vehicle is traveling at 60 miles an hour, and if ting-the knob to beheld in either the "in or the "out position, depending on whether or not transverse movement of the indicator is desired.

Rod 93 carrying knob 94 and bevel gear H0 enables the shaft M to berotated manually to adthe operator pushes knob 94 to engage gears llll and H2 and then turns the knob to right or left.

The rate of transverse movement is indicated by disc |2l carried by gear body 6|. This disc is visible through an aperture I22 in the frame 5|, the side of the aperture being calibrated to indicate a suitable transverse rate, as miles per hour or degrees if a course angle is to be used.

Usually sufiicient light enters through the open base of the case to show the indicating means in shadow-upon the chart, the chart and indicating means being relatively close as indicated in Figure 4, so that the indicating means appears clearly upon the chart without marking or otherwise defacing the chart. In this manner, by suitably adjusting the controls and the relative rates of advance of the chart relativeto the indicating means and of the indicating means relative to the chart, the vehicle navigator can readily ascertain visually his position, assuming of course that the forward rate of speed and the course are known. A light source I I4 for use at night or at other times is provided beneath the chart.

I claim: Y

1. In a navigational aid for use on a dirigible vehicle, a pair of opposite spaced parallel rollers, providing support for a chart extended threbetween, means for selectively rotating said rollers at rate coordinated with that'of said vehicle and the scale of said chart, a position indicating means including a shaft for rotating said rollers, a plurality of gears on said shaft, each of said gears having a diiferent number of teeth, and a driven member selectively engageable with any one of said gears, and means for selectively moving said position indicating means transverse to the direction of advance of said chart and at a rate coordinated with deviation of said vehicle from a straight line course on said chart.

2. In a navigational'aid for use-on a dirigible vehicle, a pair of opposite spaced parallel rollers providing support for a chart extended therebetween, means for selectively rotating said rollers at rate coordinated with that of said vehicle and the scale of said chart, a position indicating means, and means for selectively moving said position indicating means transverse to the direction of advance of saidchart and at a rate coand said supporting means to control movement of said position indicating means.

3. In a navigational aid for use on a dirigible vehicle, a pair of opposite spaced parallel rollers,

providing support fora chart extended there ers at rate coordinated with that of said vehicle andthescaleofsaidcharaapositionindicating between, means for selectively rotating said rollmeans including a shaft for rotating said rollers. a plurality of gears on said shaft, each of said gears having a diflerent number of teeth, and a driven member selectively engageable with any one of said gears, and means for selectively moving said position indicating means transverse to the direction of advance of said chart and at a rate coordinated with deviation of said vehicle from a straight line course on said chart, including a shaft driven at a speed coordinated with that of said plane, a plurality of gears on said driven shaft, each of said gears having a different number of teeth, driven means se-.

lectively engageable' with any one of said gears, a shaft for supporting said position indicating means, said supporting shaft being driven by said driven means, and a clutch between said position indicating means and said supporting means to control movement of said position indicating means.

4. In a navigational aid for, use on a dirigible vehicle, a pair of opposite spaced parallel rollers,

providing support for a chart-extended therebetween. means for selectively rotating said rollers at rate coordinated with that of said vehicle and the scale of said chart, a position indicating means including a shaft for rotating said rollers, a plurality of gears slidable as a body on said shaft, each of said gears having a different number of teeth, means extending within the gear supporting shaft to said gears as a body, and a driven member selectively engageable with any one of said gears, and means for selectively movgears having a diiferent number of teeth, means extending within the gear supporting shaft-to said gears as a body, driven means selectively zengageable with any one of said gears, a shaft for supporting said position indicating means,

said supporting shaft being driven by said driven means, and a clutch between said position indicating means and said supporting means to control movement or said position indicating means.

, FRED H. RYLANDER. 

